


Icy Lips, Burnt Heart

by StarArrow



Category: Sky High (2005)
Genre: F/M, Justice League appearances, New Ice Girl, Shenanigans, Superpowers, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-18
Updated: 2014-06-18
Packaged: 2018-02-05 03:10:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1803172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarArrow/pseuds/StarArrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brought up by the Justice League, Elle forced to attend Sky High after a few superpowered malfunctions. Mishaps and mayham follow her and her friends around as she tries to uncover secret plots and her feelings for a certain pyro.</p><p>This is the same story that I have posted in fanfiction.net. It just took me awhile to put it on here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Icy Lips, Burnt Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is the same story I have posted on FanFiction. I also have a few inspiration boards on my Pinterest account at: http://www.pinterest.com/StarArrow/  
> There are boards for the cars, outfits, books, and people I mention.

"I'm not going, Clark."

"Yes you are, Elle," the tall man standing over me said through gritted teeth, his red cape billowing in slight breeze from the air conditioner vent on the wall. Clark pinched the bridge of his nose and took a breath before opening his eyes and narrowing them at me. "You will get on that ship. You will fly back down to Earth to stay. You will attend school like a normal teenager. And you will not get sent home."

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not exactly 'normal.' Or haven't you noticed? It seems like you should have noticed by now," I grumbled, trying to keep the sarcasm in my voice to a minimum. Permanent residence on Earth had not worked out well before and I was not too keen on trying it a second time.

"Clark, maybe we are taking this the wrong way. She did save Bruce. All of us, really." Diana placed a calming hand on Clark's shoulder. "We have to be reasonable with this."

Clark gave her a level look. I hated that look. It could kill (even with out the laser eyes). His response was nearly a growl. "Diana. She iced the entire space station."  
I blushed and picked at the chipped Ice Palace Silver nail polish on my thumb. Oh, irony. They were thawing out the housing wing as we spoke.

Diana glared back at him with her piercing blue eyes. "She didn't mean for that to happen and you know it. We have all made mistakes when one of our own is in trouble. If I had her power, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing."

"She is a child. She doesn't know what she is doing and we don't have the time or resources to help her here," Clark told her, his voice rising. "The Watchtower is continuously being targeted. Today, she got lucky. What if she had gotten hit with one of those rays? You saw what happened to Batman's arm. Can you imagine what would happen to a sixteen-year-old girl hit with a full blast? No one wants to see her get hurt or die"

"Of course not. We can't just ship her off to a civilian school. Would that help anything?" Diana snapped. I could tell she was running out of things to nit-pic about.

"It worked for me," Clark muttered angrily. Bad move, Smallville. Diana, eyes flashing, pulled herself to full height.

"In case you don't remember, even living in your precious little town did not keep her safe last time. In fact, that was the only time someone actively tried to kill her. She isn't going if that's the only choice we have and I will do everything in my power to keep her here if you try." This was the chance I had been waiting for to bolt. Setting Diana off was a Bad idea. Yeah, capital B worthy Bad idea. I almost felt sorry for Clark as I slipped out the door and made my way to the infirmary.

But not really. He was a big boy, he could handle a dressing-down from Wonder Woman.

In the MedWing, Bruce was lying in the bed closest to the window. He turned his head when he heard me come in and gave me a tired smile.

"Hey, Duchess, how are you holding up?" he asked, his voice groggy from the medicine being pumped into his good arm from an IV. His suit was lying over a chair next to the bed. I pushed the garment to the floor and fell into the seat, exhausted. Bruce smirked. "You look awful."

"Go look in the mirror, Brucey," I retorted, rubbing my eyes. Bruce had always been my favorite. He acted more like an older brother than a parent. He was the one who had saved me in the first place. Going back to Earth to stay would mean not getting to see him on a daily basis.

"I wish I could. J'onn said I am hooked up to this thing for tonight, just in case," he said holding up an arm that was adorned by a couple needles on cords leading to the machine at the headboard aside from the standard IV. His other arm, I noticed, was wrapped in bandages. His right eye was swollen to the point it couldn't open and his lip was busted, still oozing blood.

"They are debating sending me to school on Earth," I told him tiredly, resting my head on my arm and leaning against the side of the hospital bed.  
He frowned and nodded. "I figured they would get around to that thought eventually. I had a discussion with Clark a couple months ago about properly training you."

"Traitor," I murmured, pulling his cape around me as a blanket. "Why do they have to keep it so damn cold in here? Aren't sick people supposed to stay warm?"

"You are an ice girl, Elle." Bruce pointed out.

"Which means that I am cold ALL the freaking time!" I snapped. "I don't see the point in me going back down there to stay. Look what happened last time. And the time before that. And-"

"You really should hang out with people your age more often. Staying up here with a bunch of old grouchy superheroes is making you too pessimistic," Bruce said.

"I go down to see Gavin and Grayson every couple weeks when I go to Gotham; and you are only thirty. That really isn't that old, you know," I reminded him. Gavin was the same age as I was and Grayson was just starting collage, but stayed at the mansion still. So, it was not like I didn't have normal social contact on a fairly regular basis. Well, my kind of normal. "And Gavin and I always go out with Socials, so I see the regular crowd if I'm there on the weekend."

"I didn't include myself in that statement, Gavin is one boy, Dick is practically your brother, and clubbing and house parties aren't exactly considered normal socializing," he informed me, trying to smile, only causing more blood to drip out of the wound.

"Dude, do you even watch reality TV? Or read your own tabloid stories?" I asked wickedly. "Besides, you know how well 'normal' applies to us."

Bruce grunted and rolled his eyes. I sighed and looked across the bed into the large window reflecting against its dark, starry background. My silvery white hair was disheveled and a long, clean scratch ran from my jaw to my collarbone. My pale silver eyes reflected off the glass, piercing back into me. Even Bruce was on their side. Diana was my only hope, and she was only saying no because she didn't think I needed to be put in a regular school. I could always go back to Smallville, Gotham, or Metropolis. The Kents, Alfred, or Lois would all gladly take me in. I didn't really want to do that because I always felt like I was a burden and getting in their way. Stupid powers. All they ever did was get me in trouble.

"Did they even tell you what I did?" I asked to break the silence that had settled and knowing J'onn had probably not said anything.

"No, Diana hasn't come to see me yet," he mumbled, laying his head back against the pillow. The ignoramus was utterly in love with her (and she with him) but neither would admit it. Idiots.

"She and Clark are fighting," I told him, thinking back to the two in the other room. I was amazed Clark had not come flying though the wall yet. "Clark thinks I went too far out of line. I didn't even mean to do it."

"Not complaining about that." Bruce said lightly, looking down at his bandaged arm."Spill. And all the details. I was unconscious though your whole little heroic escapade."

"Well, you remember there where a bunch of ugly, green, skeletal people running around, right?" I asked. He nodded, gesturing for me to continue with his good hand. "I could hear them from my room, but Flash had already run by to tell me to stay inside and lock up. Then there was an explosion and I was thrown into the back wall and it put a huge hole where the door. That's when I got this."

The scratch on my face was already scabbed over and would heal clean, but it still throbbed sporadically, reminding me it was there. "Then I saw you laying on the far side of the hall, an alien standing over you with this g-gun thing to you chest. I put up an ice shield around you just as he fired, but it didn't go up fast enough. That's what happened to your arm. I'm so sorry, Bruce. I tri-"

He put up a hand to stop me. "You saved me, I couldn't ask for anything more. And the damage is repairable. Now tell me what happened next. I know they are thawing out the halls."

I flushed dark crimson and went on. "I saw your arm 'melt,' I guess is what you would call it, and I sort of just...lost it," I said with a weak, questioning flap of my hand. There were times, as Bruce knew, I had no control over my power. "I looked up and everything was ice and I was the only one who could move. If I defrosted everything then I would have to deal with the aliens, too. So, I had to go around one at a time and unfreeze everybody. Then they whisked you away and sat me down and started yelling.

Bruce frowned, fingers finding the bandage and picking at it as he mulled things over. When he did speak, it wasn't the words I wanted to hear.  
"Go get Clark and Diana and tell them I want to talk with them," he told me with a 'don't even try to talk back' expression. "My Wayne Enterprises connections might be helpful with finding a school."

"I am not going to school," I grumbled, but I stomped out of the room anyway.

They were still fighting. Well, Diana was still fighting. Clark was now in my chair, Diana standing over him as he had me. Serves him right. Clark jumped up when he saw me and Diana quit preaching long enough to look up.

"Bruce says he wants to see both of you and that Wayne Enterprises can help me somehow with the school thing." I said. Both blinked at me. Grown-ups. "Bruce. Infirmary. Talk."

Both rushed from the room, leaving me to trail slowly behind them.

Glancing out the window as we entered Maxville, I could see that this was one of those towns you see in movies: quiet neighborhood, kids on bike, backyard barbecues, evil serial killers watering the lawn next door...kidding.

I hope.

We stopped in front of a house that looked nearly the same as the all others. There was more greenery on this particular one. Plants were everywhere. We got out of the car and I was marched up to the front door prison style. It literally felt like a death sentence. I could practically hear the snare drum rat-a-tat-tat-ing in beat to my steps.

Diana was the first to reach the door, knocking sharply three times, she fell back with the rest of us. A boy answered. A boy? I thought, they said there was a girl?

He just stared at us. Then his eyes grew wide and he got a star struck look on his face. "Your...your...your SUP-CLARK KENT!"

A red-haired girl dressed in green came up beside him, muscling him out of the doorway. "Hi, I'm Layla," she said, holding out a hand. I looked at it and gave her my frostiest handshake. "You must be Elle. Wow, ice powers, huh? Cool. Good morning, Mr. Kent, Mr. Wayne, Ms. Prince."

"Good morning," Clark answered. "Is you mother here? I'd like to talk to her before we get Elle settled in."

"Sure, I'll go get her," she said, already retreating down the hall. As an afterthought, she looked over her shoulder, "Will, can you show them the living room."

The boy, Will, came back from behind the door, slightly more composed. "Hi, I'm Will Stronghold, Layla's boyfriend. Come this way."

He led us to a large room that had more plants, a dog the size of a small horse half-curled on the love seat, a sofa and a recliner piled with bright pillows. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "So," he said looking around him, "This is Layla's living room."

He was about to say more when a woman's voice came from the stairway. "Diana! Clark! Bruce! How nice to see you all again. I was just finishing up Elle's room."

Layla's mother was petite and had curly, mousy brown hair. I had seen her on occasion, when she would visit headquarters or attend one of Bruce's charity events.

"Elle, I was so happy when I heard you wanted to come live with us and go to Sky High. It was my alma mater. You'll love it," she told me, smiling as she wrapped me in a hug. I had not been hugged so warmly since I had left the Kent's, the contact made me melt ever so slightly. It almost made me forget the part where she said I 'wanted to come.' My guardians apparently lied through their teeth to get me here and, without sounding like a complete, mannerless bitch, I couldn't even correct her.

I forced myself to smile at her. A very indiscreet cough from Bruce forced me to say something to her. "I am so glad you would have me."

"It's nothing, dear," she assured me with a pat on the cheek, before turning to her daughter and Will. "Why don't you two show her to her room? I'm sure her...er...butler wants to put those bags down."

"Sure, Mom," Layla agreed, hopping up from her seat on Will's knee. Layla led us upstairs and directed Bruce's hired butler to the door. Bruce was a tricky one. I'd give him that. He knew if he had brought Alfred to help I would have begged and pleaded until I was safely stowed away in a suitcase and smuggled into the mansion. Instead, he picked one of the guys he used to serve under Alfred on vacations. Jerk.

"This will be your room," she told me enthusiastically. "Mine is right across the hall, the bathroom connects them."

The bedroom was about the same size as the room I had had at the space station. On the windows, there were blue gauzy curtains. Silvery blue bed covers with blue velvet and white linen throw pillows neatly placed on the bed, which had a mirrored wall for the headboard and sat on a blue rug over the dark tile. It was obvious my guardians had something to do with the decorating, as those were my favorite colors (and that the room was probably not a guest bedroom before I moved in because no one in their right mind had tile in a bedroom...seriously, it's freaking cold in the mornings) and no one could have just guessed that. The window, I noticed, opened onto the patio roof.

Well, that could come in handy, I thought.

Looking around the rest of the room, I saw a desk, vanity, and dresser which held a few picture frames. I dropped my backpack on the bed and went over to check them out. One was of a building, which I assumed was the school for superheroes that I would be attending, Sky High. The others were of the same group of kids. One was wearing highlighter yellow; always next to him was a goth girl in purple. Will and Layla were joined at the hip in almost every picture. A smiling boy in orange was doing something goofy in every picture. Then there was a guy in black leather with long red-streaked black hair and smoldering eyes. He seemed out of place. Never smiling, just the same stoic look in every picture.

"Do you like them?" Layla asked from behind me. I had forgotten she and Will were in the room; Bruce's hired butler had already left after depositing my bags by the door. "I didn't know if you would be bringing your own and I thought the room needed something to make it more homey. They are all super excited to meet you."

"Yes. They are very nice decorations," I said politely. "Who are they?"

She grabbed one the frames and sat down on the bed beside Will, patting her other side for me to sit, I complied and she started listing off the names of the teens and their powers.

"The girl in purple is Magenta, she shifts into a guinea pig." That was an interesting power. "The boy beside her is Zach, they started dating officially after Homecoming, he glows. The guy in orange is Ethan, he melts. And tall, dark, and brooding is Warren Peace," I couldn't help it, I giggled a little when she told me the boy's name.

"What?" Layla asked, perplexed.

"Warren Peace. War and Peace," I said, pointing out the polar oppositeness of his name.

I could practically see the light bulb come on as her face lit up. "Yeah, crazy, right? So fitting, too."

"Yeah," Will piped in. "His dad is Barren Battle, the supervillian, and his mom is a hero."

Barron Battle. The name sent shivers down my spine. I could remember the article Clark had written when I was about seven: "COMMANDER TAKES DOWN BATTLE. 53 CASUALTIES. 107 INJURED." That boy was his son? He couldn't be all bad if he was hanging out with kids like Will and Layla, I thought, could he?

"Yeah. Fitting," was all I could say.

I heard Bruce call from downstairs, "Elle, we are leaving, are you going to come say good-bye or will you just leave us heartbroken?"

"You'd live," I yelled back, running down the stairs. I gave Diana a hug first.

"You can call anytime, Elle, we will be here in a second. We'll go shopping together when Homecoming gets here," she assured me. She had always taken me shopping in amazing placed like Paris and New York when I was having a bad day.

I moved on to Clark. He picked me up in a tight bear hug.

"You have to promise to be good and not get yourself hurt," he told me, I could have sworn I heard his voice catch. I dismissed it as the chill that was coming with the change of seasons, he was obviously catching something.

"I promise," I said as he sat me back down.

I looked at Bruce and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Flinging my arms around him, I buried my face in his dark button down.

"Should I have brought the rain gear?" he asked lightly. I laughed mid-sob. He placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me back so that he could stoop on my level. "I'm always here, Elle, don't worry."

I nodded, blubbering like and idiot.

"I'll visit and you can come to Gotham whenever you want. Oh, and there's a present from all of us in your suitcase. See you later, Duchess. Love you," he said, tugging a lock of my long, silver hair and kissing my forehead.

"Yeah, you too," I whispered, giving each of them one last hug. They left, glancing over their shoulders as they walked down the sidewalk to the car.

"Elle, dear," I heard Layla's mother say. "You have some time before dinner to unpack. Better do it tonight. There won't be much time in the morning and it's going to be a big day for both of you girls. Why don't you let Layla help you?"

"Yes, Ma'am," I said, making my way back up the staircase, hearing Will and Layla saying good-bye as I did.

The next day would be interesting, I thought. I looked out the window at the starry sky. It looked strange though the trees. At headquarters it had always been so clear. I looked down to see Will flying to the house next door and into an upstairs window. Taking a picture of my new room on my phone, I sent a message with it attached to Gavin. He was literally my only real friend on Earth (Bruce was right, Grayson was totally just like a brother) and he lived over an hour away from Maxville in Gotham.

[From Gavin T: Sweet sheets! Very u. U got 2 come 2 GCity asap.]

[To Gavin T: B there the min bruce lets me go :( think im gonna b stuck here in Maxville awhile. And I dont have wheels!]

[From Gavin T: thats bc he knows you would terrify the picket fencers. They have home owners assocs and shit in the burbs ]

[To Gavin T: u think tht would get them 2 kick me out of here? bc best friends let best friends borrow their cars 4 emergencies!]

I put my phone away to check later when Mrs. Williams called me downstairs. Dinner was vegetarian lasagna with vegetables Layla grew from the garden out back on the side. Layla told me more about her friends and Sky High. I met Layla's dad, who worked a 9-to-5 at software company in downtown Maxville as his cover. In the two years that I had been at the Watchtower, I had messed around with computer code and programing to pass the time. We talked pros and cons of different software programs for the better part of an hour. Layla and Mrs. Williams had little knowing smiles and eyes rolls for every time we got particularly excited about what we were talking about. I had a feeling Mr. Williams went on technology spiels on a regular basis. I left the table feeling like being stuck with the Williams wouldn't be so bad.

It took me a while to fall asleep that night. When I did, fire and flying schools kept popping up in my dream.


End file.
